WASHINGTON - The Helsinki Commission on April 26 held a hearing on "The
Legacy of Chornobyl: Health and Safety 20 Years Later," commemorating
the 20th anniversary of the world's worst nuclear accident at the Chornobyl
power plant in Ukraine.

The health, environmental and socio-economic costs of the disaster at
Chornobyl continue to have a profound impact on people in the region, especially
in Ukraine and Belarus, which bore the brunt of Chornobyl's radioactive
fallout.

"The bitter legacy of Chornobyl continues to be felt 20 years later,
and its consequences will remain for the people of the region and beyond
for a long time to come," said the commission's co-chairman Rep. Christopher
H. Smith (R-N.J.) who chaired the hearing. "We need to be vigilant
of the latent health effects that still are expected to emerge and ensure
that there is public awareness about the health threat."

Rep. Smith stressed the importance of the completion of the Chornobyl
Shelter Implementation Plan to cover the rapidly deteriorating sarcophagus
covering the damaged reactor: "We need to do everything possible to
protect people and the environment from the large quantity of radioactive
remains of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant even as we persist in our assistance
to the victims."

"An important lesson from Chornobyl - one that remains relevant
today - is in the importance of transparency in governance," said Ranking
Member Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.). "The nature of the Soviet system
did not lead to a humane or rational response to the tragedy. The consequences
of this secrecy remain with us to this day. They are a vivid reminder of
the value of open, democratic and accountable governments which respect
the human rights and dignity of the individual."

Testifying at the hearing were: Stephen G. Rademaker, acting assistant
secretary of state, Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation;
Oleh Shamshur, Ukraine's ambassador to the United States; Dr. David Marples,
professor of history at the University of Alberta and author of three books
on Chornobyl; Pablo Rubenstein, M.D., director, National Cord Blood Program
at the New York Blood Center; and Kathleen Ryan, executive director, U.S.A.,
Chernobyl Children's Project International.

According to a press release from the Embassy of Ukraine, in his testimony
at the hearing Ambassador Shamshur provided facts illustrating the enormous
losses Ukraine suffered as a result of the Chornobyl accident and focused
on the problems that might emerge in the near future. He emphasized the
urgent necessity to finalize preparations for the erection of the new sarcophagus
around the stricken reactor No. 4, work that must commence by 2007.

An unofficial transcript of the hearing will be posted on the Helsinki
Commission's website, www.csce.gov.

The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the
Helsinki Commission, is a U.S. government agency that monitors progress
in the implementation of the provisions of the 1975 Helsinki Accords. The
commission consists of nine members of the Senate, nine from the House of
Representatives, and one member each from the departments of State, Defense
and Commerce.